Gregg v. Georgia

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Transcript of Gregg v. Georgia

Gregg v. Georgia The Supreme Court decision ... In 1972, Troy Gregg (the convicted) and Floyd Allen were hitch hiking in Georgia, and were picked up by Fred Simmons and Bob Moore, who would later become the victims of Gregg's crime. The circumstances... The Case Why they chose the case Georgia argued that death is not always a cruel and unusual punishment. If it fits the crime, and the victim has died, the death penalty is justified. Georgia's Argument Gregg's Argument The case has significance because, even under the 8th amendment, the death penalty is still viable and not a cruel and unusual punishment if the victim(s) of the crime is killed. The Significance Works Cited Gregg v. Georgia was a case brought before the supreme court in 1976, involving the claim that the death penalty is unconstitutional and therefore illegal. The supreme court decided that death does not always constitute "cruel" or "unusual" punishment. If the crime is bad enough, the death penalty is justified. This decision was beneficial to Georgia by way of upholding the sentence. The car they were riding in broke down and they bought another with cash Simmons and Moore had. Later they stopped at a rest stop. The next day Simmons and Moore were found dead in a ditch with gunshot wounds in multiple places, including the head. Both victims had apparently been robbed as well. The Supreme Court chose this case in order to decide if the death penalty is unconstitutional under the 8th amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Troy Gregg argued that the death penalty, regardless of the crime committed, was a cruel and unusual punishment, which violates the 8th amendment and is therefore unconstitutional. http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0428_0153_ZS.html